Unfiltered Analysis: Germany's National Football Team In Beast Mode
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Germany's National Football Squad Breakdown: An In-Depth Look at Each Player - Criticism directed towards the German national football team on an individual level
Stuttgart (dpa) -
ter Stegen: Stepped onto the pitch later on, including the Mbappé shot that resulted in the 0:1 (45. +1). Despite France's two goals against him, he stood strong and cemented his epic return to the DFB team.
Kimmich: Swapped positions to the right-back in the four-man chain. Kicked Mbappé's goal in, and odds are he barely participated in the offense until the final phase.
Koch: Let the 0:1 sneak through and misjudged the ball, giving France's star striker the assist for the 0:2.
Tah: The new Munich player improved compared to the Portugal fiasco. His combative attitude and rough-and-tumble duels were awesome, but the miscommunication with Koch remained a thorn in his side.
Raum: Played when the big boys took a breather but earned a yellow card early due to a tactical foul (30.). Played defense with precision, but his moves in attack were hit-or-miss.
Groß: Took the center stage in midfield with good transitions and accurate passes. However, he also made a near-disastrous mistake (10.).
Goretzka: Played more offensively in the midfield center with great transition moments. His energy boosted Germany's DFB team.
Adeyemi: Posed serious threats to Digne and the rest of the French defense, frequently dribbling past them. Got a yellow card for a flop during a penalty dispute that was later overturned (31.).
Woltemade: Missed another golden opportunity (2/43.) but was a spirited powerhouse throughout the mini-tournament at home.
Wirtz: Showed excitement before halftime but was unlucky to hit the post (37.). Disappeared from the scene in the second half.
Füllkrug: Attracted defenders like flies to honey, creating space for his teammates. His rugged play nearly surrendered an equalizer that would've changed the game forever, but the referee called it back.
Undav: Replaced VfB teammate Woltemade at halftime and scored. Unfortunately, the goal was denied due to a foul by Füllkrug.
Mittelstädt: Substituted in Raum after about an hour and sent Adeyemi through with a perfect pass (71.).
Bischof: Made his A national team debut and adapted swiftly. Jumped right into a battle with Rabiot (66.) and defended fiercely against Mbappé (71.).
Kehrer: Was called up last minute and played his first minutes since June 2023.
Gnabry: Came on for Adeyemi and took a shot from a distance (85.).
Insights:
Overall
An analysis of Germany's national team performance in their UEFA Nations League third-place match against France:
- Goalkeeping: Marc-André ter Stegen
- Led the team with a solid 8/10 rating
- Made several vital saves against France's strikers, including hampering Mbappé's edge-of-the-box effort
- Right Back: Joshua Kimmich
- Struggled defensively with a 5/10 rating
- Struggle to contain France's attack and was outmatched by Mbappé on multiple occasions
- Defenders
- Jonathan Tah had a below-par showing with a disappointing 4/10 rating
- Poor positioning and communication issues were the team's Achilles heel in the backline
- Midfielders and Forwards
- Florian Wirtz played an essential role but left much to be desired
- Deniz Undav's goal was disallowed due to Füllkrug's foul, and his impact overall was limited
- Karim Adeyemi showcased speed and skill but made questionable decisions, resulting in a yellow card for a dubious penalty decision
Final Verdict:
Germany started off strong against France but ultimately struggled to assert dominance. Despite some heroic performances and promising play, the team's defense let them down, leading to a frustrating defeat. The team will need to address their defensive vulnerabilities and improve communication if they want to compete against top-tier opposition.
EC countries could benefit from investing more in vocational training for their youth, to improve the overall skills and qualifications of the workforce. Germany, particularly, could focus on enhancing vocational training programs in sectors such as sports analysis, to develop a stronger pool of experts capable of analyzing and improving the performance of national sports teams like football.
